Car coupler



Dec. 8, 1925.

R. G. AVERILL CAR COUPLER Filed July 29. 1924 Patented Dec. 8, 1925UNITED STATES 1,564,40il PATENT OFFICE.

REX G. AVERILL, 0F MANSFIELD, OHIO,.ASSIGI\TOR TO THE OHIO BRASSCOMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GAR COUPLER.

Application filed. July 2 1924. Serial No. 728,870.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, Rex Gr. AVERILL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a CarCoupler, of which the following is a. specification. 7

My invention relates to car couplers and has for its object means forpreventing the coupling mechanism from reaching a totally uncoupledrelation while the cars are in a. coupled relation. I

I find that with an automatic hook type of coupler, herein shown, thatwith smooth engaging faces on the coupler hooks that under certainabnormal. conditions the tendency is for the hooks to creep apart andtobecome uncoupled, therefore, I have provided means for preventing thehooks from reaching uncoupled relation under such abnormal conditions.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination andrelation of the parts shown in the drawing accompanying thisspecification and later described indetail.

in the drawing Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a coupler head suitable forattachment to a spring draft gear or other device for securing the headin position upon a car.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of Big. 1.-

3 is an end view of Fig. 1. V 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 ig.3, showing two couplers in normal coupled relation.

. 5 shows a sectional view on the line O l l two coupler heads when thecoupled elements have moved apart a predetermined amount.

In my improved construction I employ a body member 1 which is recessedto receive .the coupling mechanism. To the coupling head 1 is anextension 2 which may be secured to the spring draft gear which in turnis secured to the car body, as is well known in th art, or the member 2may be provided with means for securing it directly to car. The meansfor securing the coupler head to a car body is not shown in detail forthe reason that such connection forms no part of my invention. Mountedwithin a recess 3 of the body member 1 is a coupler 3 and shows therelation of hook 4 secured in pivotal relation to the body member 1 bymeans of the pin 5. Also mounted within the recess 3 is an unlocking cam6 provided with a handle 7 projecting outside the body member 1 andpivotally mounted in the body member '1 by means of the pin 8. Thecoupling member 4 is held in a normally advanced position and.

against the unlocking cam 6 by means of a spring 9 secured to the bodymember by means, of the bolt and nut 10. It will be noted that undernormal conditions i the coupler hook 4 will be maintained against theunlocking cam. 6 and, when two heads are brought together by impact,each coupler book 4 on; the cooperating heads will tend to move theopposite coupler hooks 4 against the tension of the spring 9 in eachhead and permit the coupler hooks 4 to pass each other until thecouplers assume the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the faces 11 ofthe coupler head 1 and the faces 12 of the coupler hooks 4 assume theposition shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that, there is practically nolongitudinal movement of the heads relative to each other in thisposition as the faces 12 of the hooks 4 and the faces 11 of the bodies 1are practically together and in parallel vertical planes which almostcoincide. If it is desired to uncouple the two heads, this can be doneby operating either cam lever 7 thereby forcing both cooperating couplerhooks 4 apart and into an uncoupled relation and under this conditionthe cars may be separated.

If while in the coupled relation shown in Fig. 4 there should be atendency forthe coupler books 4 to creep apart, they may do so until theprojection 13 on each coupling member drops into the recess 14 on theopposite coupling member, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby preventing furthermovement of the coupler hooks 4 to an unlocked position and preventingthe uncoupling of the cars. While in this position the faces 11 of thecoupler will be separated, as shown by the space 17 therebetween, butthis space is quite small as the depth of the notch 14 may be veryshallow. It is quite evident that if the couplers assume the positionshown in Fig. 5 that they will retain this position so long as thecoupler heads are acting under tension, but if the heads are broughtinto compression, in which case the space 17 willbe closed, then thecoupler hooks 4 will be free to assume their normal position shown inFig. 4 through the action of the springs 9. In attempting to uncoupletwo heads which have taken the position shown in Fig. 5, it is quiteevident that it will first be necessary to bring the heads into acompressive relation thereby relieving the interlock of the members 13and 1 1 after which the coupler hooks may be moved to an uncoupledrelation by operating the handle 7 of the cam 6.

In order to maintain the coupler heads against lateral or rotativemovement relative to each other when in a coupled relation, I provide inthe face of the body member 1 two recesses 15 along one side and uponthe other side and projectin from the face, I provide two pins 16 suchthat when two heads are brought into coupling relation, the pins 16 onone head will cooperate with the recesses on the opposite head therebymainta ning the heads uncoupled agai-nst relative erse, lateral orrotative movement.

There are, of course, modifications which will be evident to those skiled in the art, but l do not wish to be lim ted otherwise than by myclaims.

I claim 1. A pair of coupler heads each comprising a body member andholding means for holding the heads in a coupled relation, means toyieldingly hold the said holding means in a coupled relation, engagingpulling faces on each holding means, each pulling face being providedwith a transverse groove to receive means on the opposite head to limitand lock the holding means against relative lateral movement.

2. A pair of coupler heads each comprising a body member and means oneach head for holding the heads in coupled relation, each means providedwith cooperating pulling faces for normally engaging when the heads arein coupled relation and each face provided with a transverse groove,said grooves adapted to receive therein means on the oppositehead tolimit the relative lateral movement of the holding means after theioldingg; means have moved relative to each other a predeterminedamount.

3. A car coupler comprising a body mem her, a hook member provided witha pullengaged by means on the hook of the cooperating coupler to preventthe hooks prematurely uncoupling after the hooks have moved relativelyand laterally a predetermined amount.

a. A pair of counterpart coupler heads each comprising a body memberhaving par allel impact faces and a hook "member for holding the headsin acoupljed relation, the hooks provided with like faces normallyparallel. to the impact faces on the body member cooperating with eachother to form pulling surfaces to hold the heads in coupled relation andresilient means to hold the hooks and the pulling faces in normalcoupled relation, each hook provided with a transverse groove in thepulling face thereof and intermediate the inner and outer edges thereofto prevent premature uncoupling and means to move the hooks to anuncoupled relation at will.

A pair of coupler "heads each comprising a body member and a holdingmember cooperating with the holding member on the opposite head, eachholding member pro vided with spaced and alined pulling facescooperating with the like faces on the cooperating head, means toprevent the relative lateral movement of the holding means and means toyieldingly hold the alined faces in cooperative relation.

6. A car coupler comprising a body memher having an abutting face andholding means to engage with a similar means on a cooperating head, theholding means being provided with a pulling face in substantialalinement with the abutting face, the pulling face being provided with atransverse groove intermediate the inner and outer edges of the pullingface such that the normal pulling-strain'will heapplied'on the faces oneach side of the groove and under abnormal conditions the outerprojecting face on the cooperating holding means will come intoengagement with said groove to prevent uncoupling.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

REX G. AVER'ILL.

